Macron is establishing his credentials as a real idiot. The context is that the tap of weapons flow from the US seems to have been turned off, at least for now. Macron wants to show European independence. He has been assuring Kiev that Europe will support them until they achieve a negotiated peace and full sovereignty. Unless I’m missing something that means retaking Crimea and the original LDNR territory. Today he has been mooting sending French troops to Ukraine.
This all seems delusion on delusion. Except perhaps a practical realization that without more foreign troops Kiev has no chance of retaking all of the pre 2014 territory.
But the root problem remains. To ‘defeat’ Russia is going to mean substantial attacks on Russian territory, striking their logistics and military industry infrastructure over the long-term. And that does indeed mean war with the West. No one can explain how Ukraine is going to win without ‘provoking’ Russia.
Either the West has to accept that they lost, or they have to fund a never ending stalemated proxy war or they have to go all in which means a NATO-Russia war. Option 2 is increasingly unavailable due to Ukrainian staff shortages. Which leaves 1 or 3. Macron is trying to keep 2 alive by talking about sending French troops. But, as the Kremlin points out, that is blurring the boundaries with 3.
The Kremlin understands the situation. It is and is going to be extremely painful watching Western leaders grope their way slowly towards this realization.